In 1979, the China Central Radio and TV University (CCRTVU) was officially established. Over the next decade, from 1979 to 1989, the Radio and TV Universities (RTVUs) enrolled a total of 1.61 million students in higher education degree programmes, with 1.04 million graduating.

Additionally, 2 million students completed non-degree education programmes. On average, the annual graduates from the RTVUs constituted 17.1% of the national total, significantly alleviating talent shortages. Over time, the CCRTVU evolved into a comprehensive open university offering a diverse range of programmes at various educational levels and extensive coverage across China.

In 1979, the China Central Radio and TV University (CCRTVU) was established.

On 6 February 1979, the establishment of the CCRTVU and 28 provincial-level radio and television universities (RTVUs) across the country was celebrated with a grand opening ceremony. Wang Renzhong, then vice premier of the State Council, delivered a speech. He stated that establishing the RTVUs was an effective way to raise the scientific and cultural levels of the public, expand the scale of higher education, and accelerate the training of various professionals. It was also a step forward in introducing modern methods into the field of education. The event was broadcast live by China Central Television (CCTV).

CCRTVU Opening Ceremony

Coverage of the CCRTVU opening ceremony by Guangming Daily

In 1979,  Professor Hua Luogeng delivered the first lecture to the RTVU students nationwide.

On 8 February1979, courses were officially broadcast on television. Professor Hua Luogeng delivered the first lecture via China Central Television (CCTV). Across 28 RTVUs nationwide, 420,000 students tuned in to watch the course.

Professor Hua Luogeng delivered the first lecture to the RTVU Students nationwide.

In 1980, the inaugural leadership team was established.

The Ministry of Education’s Leading Party Group submitted a report on the establishment of the leadership team of the CCRTVU to the Central Committee of Communist Party of China. Following the approval of the report, the inaugural leadership was established on 31 January 1980. This team consisted of Duan Luofu, Wang Yishan, Zhang Qunyu, Wang Feng, Hao Jinlu, and Fang Tie.

Notice Regarding the Appointment of Duan Luofu and Other Comrades

In 1981, a mathematics competition was organised for the RTVU students nationwide.

In August 1981, the first-ever national mathematics competition for RTVU students from 10 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions was held in Dalian. This was the first time a mathematics competition had been organised among university students in China since the founding of the People's Republic of China. Professor Hua Luogeng, a renowned mathematician, served as the chairman of the Competition Committee.

In 1982, the inaugural graduation ceremony was held for the first graduating class.

On 8 July 1982, the inaugural graduation ceremony for the first graduating class was held in Beijing and broadcast live by CCTV. The first cohort of junior college graduates totaled 92,000, accounting for 30% of the national total that year. Additionally, there were 94,500 single-subject completion students.

The Inaugural Graduation Ceremony for the First Graduating Class of the CCRTVU

In 1984, the World Bank Loan Project was implemented.

In 1984, the RTVUs in China received nearly US$50 million in loans from the World Bank to establish nationwide study centres and production facilities, as well as to form China Education Television. The implementation of the World Bank Loan Project significantly boosted the RTVUs' ability to utilise modern technology for teaching, playing a crucial role in advancing the development of the RTVU initiatives.

Request for Instructions on Using World Bank Loans to Promote the Development of Radio and TV Universities and Short-term Vocational Colleges

In 1985, China began experimenting with using satellite TV channels to broadcast courses from the CCRTVU.

In August 1985, China began experimenting with using satellite television channels to broadcast courses from the Central Radio and TV University.

The RTVU students were studying via the satellite television channel.

In 1986, the enrolment of RTVUs was officially included in the national enrolment plan for adult higher education.

In February 1986, the State Education Commission formally incorporated the enrolment plan of the RTVUs into the national adult higher education enrolment strategy. Consequently, the RTVUs began to recruit students through the national unified examination for adult higher education institutions, known as unified enrolment.

In 1987, students majoring in Law through the unified enrolment system were attending classes at Guangdong RTVU.

In 1986, regular junior college programmes were launched.

In April 1986, three national ministries and commissions issued a joint document stating that starting from 1986, the RTVUs would begin offering regular junior college degree classes to senior high school graduates who participated in the unified national college entrance examination. This initiative was known as regular junior college classes.

Students of regular junior college classes were studying at the RTVU.

In 1986, the unified broadcast test questions were adopted to some examinations.

On 30 May 1986, the State Education Commission and the State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television jointly issued the "Notice on Enabling the Radio and TV Universities to Use Radio for Question Broadcasting." This notice mandated that the RTVUs adopt unified broadcast test questions for some examinations from 1985 to 1986.

In 1986, satellite television was utilised for educational purposes.

On 23 June 1986, nine national ministries and commissions jointly issued the "Notice on Using Satellite Television for Educational Purposes." The State Council decided to allocate a satellite transponder to the Ministry of Education. The satellite television education channel began trial broadcasts on 1 July, and official broadcasts were launched on 1 October.

Notice on Using Satellite Television for Educational Purposes

In 1986, non-degree continuing education programmes were broadcast on the educational television channel.

On 31 August 1986, non-degree continuing education programmes were officially broadcast on the educational television channel.

Li Lanqing was giving a class.

In 1987, the China TV Normal College was establishment.

On 15 August 1987, the China Television TV Normal College was established. In 1993, it merged with the CCTVU, utilising advanced television teaching methods and drawing on the resources of the RTVU system to meet the national demand for training primary and secondary school teachers.

In 1987, the China Education Television (CETV) was established.

On 6 October 1987, the State Education Commission announced the establishment of China Education Television (CETV). From that point on, the Radio and TV Universities (RTVUs) had their own independent platform for broadcasting courses.